Berkshire, England: Seaweed is a bio-stimulant. Indigrow’s Compass seaweed products comprise a unique range of molecular seaweed and carbohydrate extract products.

These seaweed products are produced using Ascophyllum nodosum, grown at a renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly source.

Compass products are seaweed based, utilising its ability to stimulate root growth. The seaweed helps the plant to produce thicker and longer roots with more root hairs leading to an increase in water and nutrient scavenging and the plant’s ability to thrive in stress situations.

“We have extensively trialled our seaweed products,” said Brian Croose, Asean Regional Manager for Indigrow, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

The seaweed used in the Compass products is extracted from the plant using the latest cold cell burst technology.

This technology is designed to keep all of the marine molecules intact, allowing them to maintain their bio-active properties.

Compass molecular seaweed extract is rich in alginic acid, mannitol, amino acids, minerals and other plant hormone-like molecules. The end product is concentrated and finely filtered to ensure maximum solubility and guarantee ease of application.

Croose said: “Choosing the correct source of seaweed is vital to producing a high quality product. Our seaweed is carefully selected from unpolluted, tidal seas.”

The tidal seas offer a source which results in a finished product which is higher in beneficial compounds. Tidal flow submerges and exposes the seaweed plants twice every day, causing them high levels of stress.

Naturally, the plants build up internal reserves of stress relieving compounds, which after processing remain in the product and can be applied to turf. Tidal seaweed also has increased nutrient content compared to other seaweeds grown in still/calm waters.

Alginic acid is an integral bio-active component of seaweed extract and this polysaccharide can enhance soil structures. Alginates are able to bond with ions in the soil similar to the way natural mucigels from soil organisms impact on aggregation of soil particles.

This aggregation effect creates structures which allow aeration and water movement. This allows for root growth and increased uptake of nutrients and alginates are also proficient at retaining water and thus provides a conducive environment for increased root development and maximising healthy growth.

Foliar applications of seaweed extract is able to encourage increased root mass and development of increased surface area due to fibrous morphology promoted by the available auxins and cytokinins.

Mannitol is a polyol with excellent anti-oxidant properties that protect cell functions, particularly under conditions of abiotic stress. They achieve this by quenching free radicals or reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen, hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide molecules.

Mannitol also protect the important cell structures responsible for metabolic processes to maintain normal functionality.